Time interval indicating and recording apparatus



Nov. 21, 1933. A, A PITT 1,936,208

TIME INTERNAL INDICATING AND RECORDING. APPARATUS Filed April 25. 1931'2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 21, 1933. A A P TT 1,936,208

TIME INTERNAL INDICATING AND RECORDING APPARATUS Filed April 25. 1931 2Sheets-Sheet 3 I INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 21, 1933. I I

UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE' TIME INTERVAL INDICATING AND RECORD- INGAPPARATUS Alma A. Pitt, Chicago, 111. Application April 25, 1931. SerialNo. 532,846

'7 Claims. (Cl. 235-92) This invention relates to automatic time inter-16 attached to a flexible conductor 1'? connected val registeringapparatus; and more particularly with a negative lead wire 18.1. topassenger elevator signal apparatus designed Bus or terminal bars 19, 20and 21 are located to register the interval of time a passenger, on inbranches of the negative side of the lighting 5 any floor of thebuilding, has waited to receive circuit 18 and are arranged to formcontacts for 60 elevator service. the shoe 12.

The main objects of this invention are to pm- In circuit with the bus orterminal bar 20 is a vide means for currently informing the elevatorflasher comprising a rotary Current interstarter or operator, or both,of the elapsed time rupter having long co tacts 23 and short contacts 9a passenger on any floor of the building, has In C cuit with the bus orterminal bar 21 waited for an elevator to answer his call; to proianother T155119? 25 qomplising rotary u ent vide apparatus toautomatically record the class p hav g unlform contacts 26. of servicerendered, as indicated by the length T countmg and recordmg 0111711111bus te of timepassengers have been required to wait; mmal P 23 and 29are each flonnected t0 5 to provide automatic counters which will indi-9Peratmg 0011s 30, 31 an respectlvelyy located Gate the number ofintervals of one or more 1n branches of the positive side 14.1 of thecounter determined lengths, that passengers throughout operatmg thebuilding have waited for service; and to pro- Flgure 2 Shows y one thethrefivcolvlnter vide an automatic graphic record indicating the andrecorder operatmg c0115, shown In Flgule 2. number of intervals of eachpredetermined length, and only one counter and complete recording nd thefine of da that the occurred. pen and linkage, and for this descriptionwe will 9 11125112; embodiment 0 f this in ventiOn is refer to cm! 30only t t t bemg the same shown in the accompanying drawings, in which 31ga 33 i the 9 30 1s g gg' P Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sketch showing ana O ecor pen e pen 1S 25 end View of the apparatus and the circuitsarranged to coact with a contmuously traveling quired for one floor tape36 to produce a graphic record of every ac- Fig 2 shows a magneticallyoperated counter g z g 3 in the con 30 as transmitted y e m age linkedto one of several recording pens marking 30 a continuous on a travelingee ln e ifiitoitiuitlt iivfifi at i cffisi ii Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticrepresentation of the fixed speed by a motor a 85 2:332:2 s figg i r'fgd5;: zzvgggg'soggrztfig i fi The lighting circuit is operated from leadwires cuits and a side view of the contacting device 3 $3 12;? 2x 2? i gg gif i g fia:

35 a g; gg gfig tfi ggz g gig ggi g ating coil 3, through wires 4 and 5,is energized through the closing of its circuit by means of supportmg anactuatmg con 3 havmg feed wlres any intermittently operated device, suchas the 4 and 5 connected to a hall signal switch relay usual relay 38,provided for each floor and actuwhlch a v 9 any usual type whereby tated by the pushing of an up-or-down button of o circuit 1sintermittently closed and opened. P1va respective elevator signal switchoted at 6 on the coil bracket 2 is an armature 'I When so applied toelevators, the time indiwhich carnes a Shdlng contactol member oncatedand registered, for example, will be the one side of which is cut arack 9. The rack 9 interval between pushing the button of the hall Icoop s Wlth drum 10 Pal/mg gear teeth on signal switch 39, which closesthe signalrelay 38 its p rip ry, Whlch when 111 mesh elevates the andenergizes the respective coil 3, and the ar- Slid Contactor member atconstant, fixed rival of the elevator car atthe floor on which 100speed. that signal switch 39, is located, at which point At the upp r ndof th shd s member 8 s an the contact shoe 40 on the elevator bridgesthe insulatin bl 1 on one Side of which i contacts 41 and 42 and closesa circuit which 0pmounted a lighting- Shoe 12 t0 erates to open therelay 38 and automatically de- 10 which is attached a flexible co ducto13. T e energize the coil 3. When the circuit, through conductor 13connects the shoe 12 with the posithe actuating coil 3, is closed, themovement of tive side 14 of the electric light circuit in which thearmature 7 toward the coil 3 will cause the is a lamp 15. On theopposite side of the block rack 9 on the sliding member 8 to engage with11 is a counter and recorder circuit contact shoe the teeth on theconstantly rotating drum 10, n0

which elevates the sliding member at a constant speed to contactsuccessively the terminals 19, 20 and 21.

The distance the sliding member will travel depends upon the time thatthe actuating coil 3 has been energized; that is, the time required bythe elevator to answer a waiting passenger's signal. When the slidingmember 8 has reached its highest point, it will ride on the lowest notchof the rack 9 and will be held in that position until the armature 7 isreleased through the deenergizing of the actuating coil 3. When thearmature 7 has been released by the coil 3, and the sliding member 8 hasbeen thereby released from the drum 10, the member 8 will be immediatelyreturned to its lowest or initial position by the action of the force ofgravity.

When an armature 7 is drawn toward its actuating coil 8 after the sameis energized by its respective hall signal relay, the respectivelighting circuit is instantly closed by way of wires 14 and 13, thelighting contact shoe 12, the terminal bar 19 and the wire 18, therebycausing the respective light 15 to give a steady signal indicating thata passenger is waiting for service at the floor represented by thatsignal. When a definite, predetermined time-interval has elapsed, theshoe 12, being constantly moved upward by the coaction of the slidingmember 8 and the drum 10, is pushed past the terminal bar 19 and comesinto contact with the terminal bar 20.

In circuit with the terminal bar 20 is a flasher 22 with alternatinglong and short contacts giving dot-and-dash flashes on the signal light15, indicating that a certain predetermined interval has elapsed sincethe waiting passenger first called for service. When the contact shoe12, in its upward travel leaves the terminal bar 20, it comes intocontact with the terminal bar 21. In circuit with the terminal bar 21 isa flasher 25 arranged with contacts of equal width to give a uniform dotsignal, thereby indicating the lapse of a second predeterminedtime-interval since the waiting passenger's first call for service.

When the contactor actuating circuit is opened, and the armature '7 isreleased by the coil 3, the sliding member 8 falls away from the drivingand elevating drum 10 and the contact shoe l6 strikes the counter andrecorder circuit terminal bars directly opposite the lighting circuitterminal bars with which the shoe 12 has contacted. For example, if theshoe 12 is in contact with the terminal bar 20 at the instant theactuating coil 3 is deenergized through the opening of the actuatingcircuit relay connected to the leads 4 and 5, as caused by an elevatorcar stopping at the floor from which the signal originated andautomatically closing the circuit through the contacts 41 and 42, andthe sliding member 8 falls away from the driving drum 10, the contactshoe 16 will strike on the terminal bar 28, thereby actuating thecounter and recorder operated by the coil 31 and thereby recording thelapse of the predetermined timeinterval as represented by the terminalbars 20 and 28. Y 1

In an ordinary installation of this device, a signal light 15, a slidingmember 8 with two contacts l2 and 16 mounted thereon, and an actuatingcoil 3 coacting with an armature 7 would be furnished for each floor ofthe building. One driving drum 10, one of each type of flasher, one setof terminal bars each, for the lighting and registering circuits andregisters for each timeinterval to be indicated would'be furnished foreach bank of elevators.

The assembly of this equipment, with the exception of the signal lightsand the other registering devices, is arranged in a compact form,preferably as a unit as shown in Fig. 3, comprising a single drum 10 ofsuillcient length to accommodate the desired number of sliding members8, a plurality of sliding members arranged parallel to each other and ina single row parallel to the axis of the drum, terminal bars andflashers. Each sliding member with its supporting armature 7 is arrangedtransversely of the drum axis and adjacent the drumperiphery as shown inFig. 1. An actuating coil 3 is provided for each sliding member andarmature and is electrically connected to a respective hall signalswitch relay 38 so as to be energized when the said relay is closed byoperation of the hall signal switch or button 39. In the form shown theterminal bars are arranged parallel to each other, above and to one sideof the drum 10, in spacedpairs extending parallel to the drum, and aredisposed so that the sliding members 8 and the contact shoes 12 and 16will travel between them and successively contact one bar of each pair.accordingly as they are traveling upwardly or downwardly. One pair ofterminal bars is provided for each time interval that is to beregistered and each bar is of sufl'icient length so that it can be Icontacted by all of the sliding members. The

flashers may be arranged adjacent the drum l0 and are preferably drivenby the same driving means actuating the drum. The drum driving meansshown is a constant speed electric motor 43 properly geared to the drumso as to rotate the same at a definite predetermined speed.

The signal lights, one representing each floor, would be installed in aconvenient place and arrangement to inform the elevator starter of thetime a passenger has been waiting for elevator service, and the countersand recorders, one of each for each predetermined time-interval, wouldbe installed in a location convenient to the manager of the building.

The unit comprising the driving drum, with flashers and contactorequipment would all be located at one place, either in the basement orthe building or in the elevator equipment penthouse.

When vthe hall signal switch or button 39 on a certain floor is operatedby a waiting passenger the respective coil 3 is energized and itsarmature 7 is actuated causing the contactor shoes to 130 be moved, at aconstant speed, transversely of the terminal bars. Each time a terminalbar is contacted an individual circuit is completed and a means isactuated to register the particular time interval represented by suchterminal bar. 135

With this arrangement the elevator starter may be constantly advised bymeans of lights as to the floors on which passengers are waiting forservice, as well as the time-intervals that the passengers have beenrequired to wait. Also 40 the manager of the building may be constantlyadvised by means of counters and recorders as to the class of servicethe elevator system is giving as indicated by the total number of thedifferent predetermined time intervals that have 5 elapsed whilepassengers on all floors oi the building have waited for service. Thegraphic) recorder is arranged to show the time of day that each lapse ofany of several predetermined "time intervals has occurred.

within the spirit of their meaning, the means severally or collectivelyto indicate, record and count; and the acts of indicating, recording andcounting.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been hereinshown and described, it will be understood that certain details of theconstruction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of this invention as defined by the following claims:

I claim:

1. In time interval registering apparatus, an actuating coil, aplurality of registers respectively registering different intervals ofpredetermined lengths, and means governed by the length of time saidactuating coil is energized to operate the respective registers.

2. In time interval registering apparatus, an actuating coil, aplurality of registers respectively registering different intervals ofpredetermined lengths, and means governed by the length of time saidactuating coil is energized to operate the respective registers when theactuating coil is deenergized.

3. In time interval registering apparatus, an actuating coil, meansregistering different intervals of predetermined lengths that saidactuating coil is energized, and automatic means controlled by saidactuating coil and operating at a constant predetermined rate foroperating said registering means.

4. In time interval registering apparatus, a register operating circuit,an actuating coil, a continuously operated driving mechanism, a seriesof terminals on said register circuit, a sliding contactor arranged toengage said terminals successively; said sliding contactor being movedto engage said terminals by said driving mechanism during the intervalwhen said actuating coil is energized, and registers for registeringtime intervals of respectively different lengths that said actuatingcoil is energized.

5. In time interval registering apparatus, a

continuously operated driving mechanism, an actuating coil, a contactordriven by said driving mechanism, said contactor being moved intodriving relation with said driving mechanism by said -actuating coil,and means operated by said contactor for registering intervals ofpredetermined length of operation of said actuating coil.

6. In time interval registering apparatus, a register operating circuit,an actuating coil, a

continuously operated driving mechanism operating at a constant fixedspeed, a series of ter-= minals on said register circuit, a slidingcontactor arranged to engage said terminals, said sliding contactorbeing moved to engage said terminals by said driving mechanism duringthe interval when said actuating coil is energized, and registeringmeans respectively associated with said terminals and operated by saidcontactor for registering respectively'difierent intervals of pre=determined lengths that said actuating coil is energized.

7. In a time interval registering apparatus, an actuating coil, anactuating circuit controlling said actuating coil, a register operatingcircuit having a series of branch circuits, a terminal and means tooperate a register in each of said register operating branch circuits, asliding member having a contactor mounted thereon and arranged toengagesaid terminals successively,

said sliding member being controlled by said actuating coil, a constantspeed driving mechanism arranged to engage with said sliding merit herwhen said actuating coil is energized and to cause said contactor toadvance at a constant rate and to engage successively certain of saidregister operating terminals, said terminals being spaced apart adistance proportionate to certain predetermined time intervals, andregisters actuated through said register operating circuit to registerrespectively diiierent intervals of predetermined duration that saidactuating coil is energized, sald sliding member being normally urgedtoward an initial position disengaged from said driving mechanism andfrom said terminals when said actuating coil is de-energized.

ALMA A. PITT.

